Emerging-markets-fund Books

John Train's slim book The Craft of Investing has a title that might mislead some readers into thinking that it is another one of his well-crafted overviews on investing. A good portion of the text, however, deals with topics that are probably most relevant to high networth individuals, family wealth management professionals and private bankers. Other investors will find chapters such as "Family Capital," "The [Trust] Executor's Job," and "How to Use a Safe-Deposit Box" less than relevant.

There are passages that are of interest to a wider audience. The first portion of the book is a brief, but useful survey of different investment styles. Other passages provide an interesting distillation of Train's tips on what makes a good investor, for instance, his advice about reverse engineering the trades of well-regarded institutional investors ("start by piggybacking on the thinking of the best professionals"); keeping a conservative approach to investing (which he says favors " sober, seasoned, careful older people"), and honing of investment skills to a professional level. "Most points are lost on errors, rather than by forcing shots. Since the investor never has to act, he should focus on not making avoidable mistakes." There is not enough meat on the bone here, though, to rank this book as one of Train's better ones. Instead, readers new to his work are better off starting with The Money Masters and The New Money Masters, two books that rank among the best in the investment field.

Overall this is a great investment book. It covers an extremely broad range of topics and for the most part the reader cannot go too far wrong following the author's advice. The sections on the nature of markets and his advice on commodities alone makes the book worthwhile. Bear in mind that the book was published in 1994 but most of the content is timeless. Another book with much of the same advice is The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias. One additional thing- some of the charts and tables and examples date from the 1970's and are evidently from magazine articles that the author wrote. Just so you know what you are buying. The example are good ones and mostly remain relevant today. The only real limitation of the book is Train's simplistic approach to growth stock picking.

It is impossible to praise this book enough. I have been actively investing for greater than 10 years, and I have read more books than I care to count. You will feel much more confident in your investing and making choices. I finally have a good grip on why do stocks go up and down. But you get insight into other matters as well ,and get to feel the wisdom of a true master,in a well written easy style. Just what we need during this deflating bubble we are in now.

This book is an easy to read primer on investing and other financial matters such as estate planning and retirement planning. There are no specific formulas to follow. Rather, the book is loaded with common sense and practical advice. As far as investing, Train as one would expect discusses growth and value investment styles. But there are gems not found in other books such as his comments on emerging markets, real estate and art. Beginning and experienced investors will get alot out of this book. I'm reading it for my second time - always a sign of a good book.

"The Craft of Investing" is a short, basic, and fun-to-read book that teaches you a bit about conservative investment. It doesn't go into analytic detail but emphasizes the broader concepts. The first half of the book is the best and deals mainly with stock investment. You can neglect most of the later chapters if you want and still benefit greatly.

You will learn how not to sit on a bad investment, or as John Train says, not "become a boiled frog." It is claimed that if a frog is put in a cup of warm water, it will just sit there, even as the water is slowly heated. If the poor old frog had been tossed into a pan of boiling water he would have realized the situation was not good and immediately jump out. But, as the water is slowly heated, the frog decides he can tolerate the slight change in temperature. Never making his mind up to get out, the frog boils. Many investors do the same with bad investments. As the company gets progressively worse, they hold on hoping the situation will improve--only to lose more and more money.

Much of successful investment demands little more than learning what not to do and John Train will help show you what not to do.

Peter Hupalo, Author of "Becoming An Investor: Building Wealth By Investing In Stocks, Bonds, And Mutual Funds."

Even if you are not a real estate investor you can understand these clear and structured techniques. You will learn strategies to take advantage of a good or "bad" market... and then, become an investor.

If you think books on real estate investments are dull and hard to understand, read MAKING HARD CASH IN A SOFT REAL ESTATE MARKET by Wendy Patton and Justin Ryan.

Their "let's sit down together and we'll talk you through it" approach will inspire readers to get involved in real estate investing and will give them the necessary information needed to take that first step.

Jewel P. Arata

My profession has lead me to read many, many real estate investing books and truth be told, most are mediocre at best -- this book is not one of those! I don't know either Ms. Patton, or Mr. Ryan, but I have read Ms. Patton's previous book and I think that this one is even better. In my opinion, Ms. Patton and Mr. Ryan have managed to put together a very timely, readable and informative book. Not just a rehash of the basics, this book offers information that actually advances the base of knowledge available to the average investor.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should say that I am an attorney, real estate broker, investor, trainer, and author of another unique and highly readable book on real estate investing that can also be found here on Amazon -- The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Buying Houses: The Foolproof Roadmap to Real Estate Riches Without the Risks and Hassles of Landlording.

"Hard Cash In A Soft Real Estate Market," is a very good book that will jump you light years ahead of the average investor. I would suggest that you buy it if you are serious about making a success of real estate investing.

Well done. And great timing. The only thing missing from this book is what most others lack - a detailed treatment of the evidence and extent of the real estate bubble, and guidance how to read changing market conditions. For this, I strongly recommend "Cashing in on the Real Estate Bubble" as a companion book. Cashing in on the Real Estate Bubble Together, both books should be all you need.

This was not what I had hoped for. The real estate market is in a "Soft time" and I had expected some good advise for the current investment market. There is really none in this book. There are a couple of chapters on how not to be afraid to invest. One on seller financing and one on the subdivision development process. Nothing new or interesting or relevant for the individual investor.

This is a book you have to take at face value - it's a simplified manga overview of a complex individual. As such, the book aspires only to introduce the reader to Mark Mobius to the lay reader, and lightly cover his background. Think of it as a "Mobius for Beginners."

In this, the book succeeded. In an hour, you can learn about Mobius, his background, his travel-intensive approach to investing, and how he has done in his career. This is neither an in-depth biography on Mr. Mobius, nor a textbook on emerging markets investing. Then again, it wasn't intended to be.

Certainly not the first economic/finance book using comic style that I've read. But, the manga style proved the be the first for me and so far the best at conveying the topic in a comic book format. It is a short biography of Mark Mobius, and a crash course to investing in emerging market countries. There are plenty of historical examples where Mobius had encountered various situations that called for important investment decisions and his rationale behind them. Also illustrated in the manga, side stories that adds to the overall nuance of the biography.